Sri Rudra Prasna or Satarudriya:A Flag Post of Universality and Inclusiveness of Hinduism

By T.N.Sethumadhavan May 2010 Chamakam Namakam chaiva purusha sooktam tathaiva cha |

Nityam trayam prayunjano Brahmaloke maheeyate ||He, who ever recites Namakam and Chamakam along with Purusa Sooktam daily, will be honoured in Brahmaloka

Introduction Among the various Vedic Hymns Sri Rudra Prasna occupies the pride of place. Sri Rudra Prasna also known as Rudradhyaya, Satarudriya, Rudra Namakam & Chamakam and Rudram. Sri Rudram is a part of Krishna Yajurveda; with some modifications. Rudra Prasna finds a place in Shukla Yajurveda also. It has two parts called Namakam and Chamakam and each part is further divided in to eleven Anuvakas or sections. The two are chanted together according to tradition. In the Namakam hymn, every verse begins with "namo" or "salutation”; in the Chamakam hymn, every verse contains the phrases "cha me ", meaning “and me”; hence their nomenclature. Apart from its daily recital among the orthodox Hindu households during Abhishek rituals, it is invariably chanted in most of the poojas and havans by Vedic Pundits. To hear it chanted in chorus in the prescribed manner of intonation (swaras) is a unique soul stirring and elevating experience. (Editor – I heard hyms chanted as described at a Yagna in Trimbakeshwar and believe me it was the experience of a lifetime).

Sri Rudra Prasna is a hymn in praise of and prayer to Lord Siva and its chanting is the oldest prayer wherein the names and attributes of Lord Siva are listed. Through the chanting of Sri Rudra Prasna, Lord Siva’s various characteristics and aspects are invoked and worshipped.

Chanting the Sri Rudra Prasna is considered to be of great material and spiritual benefit to the devotees. It is considered highly efficacious in warding off evils and in conferring various benefits on its votaries. Chanting of Sri Rudra Prasna can be done with or without the accompaniment of a Vedic fire (yajna) ritual. When accompanied with the Vedic fire ritual, it is called the Rudra Yajna.

There are several methods of reciting Sri Rudram. They are called Rudram, Ekadasha Rudram, Laghu Rudram, Maha Rudram and Ati Rudram - each being more potent than the preceding one. They are:

1. Reciting the Rudram once is called ‘Avartana’. 2. Reciting it eleven times is called ‘Ekadasini’.3. If the Ekadasini is repeated eleven times, it is called Laghu Rudra.4. Eleven repetitions of the Laghu Rudra constitute the ‘Maharudra’.5. Eleven Maharudras make it an ‘Atirudra’ comprising of 14,641 repetitions of Sri

Rudra Prasna.

Maharudra and Atirudra are generally performed by employing 11 or 121 priests to recite all at a time.

Significance of SRI RUDRA PRASNA Sri Rudra Prasna is great because its central point is the holiest of the holy Siva Panchaakshari Mantra "Namah Sivaya" ((sacred five letters of prayer) It is a mellifluous hymn offered to the all-pervading Almighty, God, designated as Rudra-Siva. He is present in two forms viz., in an auspicious and benign form (siva) by way of sustenance of all things created and also as in an aggressive and terrible form (rudra) which He assumes at the time of the dissolution and destruction of the cosmos at the end of the cycle.

Apart from these two major facets of the Supreme Reality, viz., the sustaining and the destroying, or the constructive and the destructive or the positive and the negative, there is an enigmatic, un-understandable vagueness and subtleness behind the Reality’s presence in our practical day to day lives.

The text is important in Vedanta also where Siva is equated to the Universal Brahman. It describes Rudra in his universal aspect as the Supreme Being, the omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient Lord of the universe.

We can approach the Hymn Sri Rudra Prasna in two ways through sound (chanting) and through word (by understanding its importance). The approach through sound is very popular as stated earlier. The second approach is a bit heavy on the grey cells because the nature of its contents is highly cryptic and suggestive. However an attempt is made here to explain both the parts of the hymn in brief just to elevate the attention of the readers from the popular chanting plane to a higher contemplative plane.

NAMAKAM ch 2 ANUVAKA - 01Om Shri Ganeshaya Namah! Om Namo Bhagavate Rudraya!!Mantras

1. May one meditate upon Lord Siva, who has fixed the radiant arrow that is pulled up to the ear on the shining bow, who has a beautiful form, who has a warrior-like body, who is young and who is united with Goddess Parvati. Lord Rudra! Salutation to your anger and also to your arrow. Salutation to your bow and also to both your hands holding the bow and arrow.

2. Lord Rudra! That arrow of yours has become quietened, so has your bow become quietened, so too your quiver. With this quietened bow, arrow and quiver make us happy.

3. Lord! One who abides in the words of the Vedas! May you reveal the self to us through that form of blessing which is non-frightening, auspicious and which reveals the pure self?

4. Lord! Make the arrow that you are holding in your hand ready to throw, a blessing on wrong-doers. O, the protector of all, abiding in Kailasa Mountain! Do not hurt us and other beings of the world.

5. Lord! Of Mount Kailas! We pray to you, with pure and auspicious words, in such a manner that we, thereby, become free of diseases and possessed of happy mind.

6. May that Lord - who stands by his devotees, who is the foremost, who dwells as the inner self of devas, who removes the disease of samsara and who destroys all snakes etc. that harm from the front and all spirits etc., that harm from behind - espouse my cause.

7. The same Lord who is praised in the previous Mantras is that Sun in front of us with reddish hue (sun rise), light red (thereafter) and then golden hue. We pacify the anger of thousands of Rudras who have resorted to the quarters on all sides of this earth.

8. Lord Rudra who is blue-necked and red in hue is this sun, who moves in the sky from east to west. Even shepherds see him. Women who bring waters also see him. All beings see him. May that Lord who is seen by us make us happy?

9. My salutation unto the Lord who has blue neck, who has thousands of eyes and who abundantly grants the desired ends to his devotees. I offer my salutations also to the host of attendants of the Lord.

10. O Lord! May you release the string at both ends of the bow? Also may you make the arrows that are in your hand out of sight?

11. O Lord. One who has thousands of eyes! One who has many quivers! Make your bow free of string. Make the edges of your arrows blunt. May you be of auspicious form and have a blessing disposition towards us?

12. May the bow of the Lord be bereft of string? May the quiver be devoid of arrows? May the arrows outside the quiver of the Lord get destroyed? May the scabbard of the Lord loose its power to hold a sword?

13. O Lord, one who totally grants all desired objects! May you protect us from all difficulties with your weapons and the bow you have in your hand, that are the cause of health.

14. O Lord! I salute your weapons that are not targeted and that have the potential of striking at me. Further, my salutation to your hands and the bow in your hand.

15. O Lord! Let the arrow that is aimed at your bow avoid us from all directions. Further, may you target your quiver with the arrows at our host of enemies?

ANUVAKA - 02Namaste astu bhagavan visvesvaraya mahadevayaTryambakaya tripurantakaya trikalagnikalayaKalagni rudraya nilakanthaya mrtyunjayayaSarvesvaraya sadasivaya srimanmahadevaya namah ||

Let my salutation be unto you, O Lord, who is the Lord of the universe who is the all-knowing effulgence, who has three eyes, who burnt the city of three demons, who is the three periods of time which is like fire, who is timeless and also destroyer of time, who is blue-necked, who wins over death, who is the Lord of all, who is always a blessing, who is endowed with all wealth and who is great Lord.

This is one of the most popular verses, always recited by the devotees.

Mantras

1. Salutation to the Lord, who has hands that are decorated with golden ornaments, who leads the armies, and who is the Lord of all the directions.2. Salutation to the Lord, who is in the form of trees that have fresh green leaves and who is the Lord of all beings.3. Salutation to the one who has the color of tender grass that is a mixture of red and yellow, who is bright and who is the Lord of all Vedic means.4. Salutation to the one who is seated on a bull, who severely afflicts the wrong doers and who is the Lord of all foods.5. Salutation to the one who has black hair, who has the holy thread across and who is the Lord of those who are well nourished.6. Salutation to the one who destroys the life of limitation and who is the Lord of the universe.7. Salutation to the one who liquidates the sorrow of samsara, who protects with a bow that is ready to use, and who is the Lord of all bodies.8. Salutation to the one who drives the chariot called the universe, who cannot be destroyed by anyone and who is the Lord of all forests.9. Salutation to the one who is of red color, who remaining everywhere is the protector of all and who is the Lord of all trees.10. Salutation to the Lord of all secrets, who is revealed by the words of the Vedas and who is the Lord of inaccessible places.11. Salutation to the one who causes the growth of the earth, who abides in the devotees and blesses them and who is the Lord of all herbs.12. Salutation to the one who makes loud noise in war etc., who makes the enemies weep and who is the Lord of the soldiers.13. Salutation to the one who pervades everything, who is on the run to protect his devotees and who is the lord of all good people.

ANUVAKA - 03The whole section is one mantra. The idea here is that the Lord is one who validates and accepts whoever goes to him; no matter what one does, he condones the wrong.

Salutation to the one 1. Who condones all crimes, who afflicts the enemies always, and who is in the form of the very afflicting deities.2. Who is great, who wields a sword to protect his devotees and who is the Lord of thieves who steal under cover.3. Who has arrows ready to be set on the bow, who has a quiver full of arrows and who is the Lord of all dacoits.4. Who is an occasional cheater, who cheats all the time and who is the Lord of those who steal remaining close by.5. Who wanders around more cleverly than robbers of the forest, who is constantly on the move for stealing and who is the Lord of the forest thieves.6. Who is in the form of those protecting themselves with weapons, who is desirous of destroying others and who is the Lord of those who steal grains in fields. 7. Who carries a sword on him, who is nocturnal and who is the Lord of those who rob others by killing.

8. Who wears turban, who wanders in the hills and who is the Lord of those who appropriates others’ property.

Salutations to you in the form of those9. Who have arrows and who hold bows.10. Who are tying the string in the bow and those who are setting the arrows on the tied bow.11. Who are drawing the string of the bow and who are releasing the arrow.12. Who are sending the arrow that reaches the target and who are piercing the

target.13. Who are seated and who are in a reclining posture.14. Who are sleeping and those who are awake15. Who are standing and those who are running.

Salutations to you in the form of16. assemblies and in the form of lords of assemblies17. Horses and in the form of horse-riders.

ANUVAKA - 04Salutation to you in the form of 1. Female power that strikes all around and in various forms.2. the group of seven pleasing female deities who bless as well as the powerful

deities that harm.3. greedy ones and also their Lord4. people belonging to different castes and the Lord of all of them.5. attendants of deities (Ganas) and the Lord of all of them6. those who have disfigured forms and who are in different forms which are not

usually accepted by others.7. brilliant ones and not so glorious ones.8. who come in the chariots such as kings and those who are devoid of chariots.9. the very chariots and the owners of the chariots.10. armies and the leaders of the armies.11. charioteers who also train the charioteers and those who wield the reins.12. carpenters and chariot-makers.13. pot-makers and blacksmiths.14. bird-catchers and fishermen.15. who make arrows and bows.16. hunt animals and who lead the dogs with straps while hunting.17. dogs and dog owners

ANUVAKA - 05Salutation to the one from whom the universe is born, who removes the sorrow, who is the destroyer of everything, who is the Lord of all beings, who has blue neck with white spot therein, who has matted hair and has shaven head, who has thousand eyes, who has countless weapons, who has mountain as his abode, who pervades everything through his rays, who is the ultimate cause for the universe, who has a bow, who is short, who is

small footed, who is big, who is full of virtues, who is in the form of full grown cosmos, who keeps growing by the praises showered on him, who is the cause of everything, who is first among all, who swiftly moves on account of his pervasion, who obtains in fast moving things and in swift flow of waters, who is in every wave and in quiet waters, and who obtains in small streams and islands.

ANUVAKA - 06Salutation to the one who is elder and who is younger, who is in the form of a cause and effect; youth; an infant; animals and trees; human being; those who are in the yama loka, in the heaven and on the earth; in the grains; those who obtain in the Veda and Vedanta; in the forest and trees; who is in the form of sound and echo; who has a swift moving army and chariot; who is a brave warrior; who shatters the fort of enemies; who has the protective armor and helmet; who is the secret place of protection of the army and who is in the form of army of presiding deities.

ANUVAKA - 07 Salutation to the one who obtains in the kettle-drum and in the stick to beat it ; who is brave and analytical; a messenger in war; who is interested in the welfare of the kingdom, who has a sword in his hands, a quiver of arrows on his shoulders, equipped with all weapons and bow, who obtains in narrow walking paths as well as on high ways; in ponds and waterfalls; in marshy land and lakes; in rivers and streams, in the wells and the valleys; in the rains and in drought, in clouds and lightning; in the sun and shade, who is in the form of Prana and Rudra, who is in the form of every object and in the vastu deity.

ANUVAKA - 08 This whole section is considered to be important since the important mantra, namah sivaya, occurs here.

Salutation to the Lord seated with Uma and to Lord Rudra; to the Lord of all beings in the form of rising sun and the one that obtains later; who gives happiness to all beings here and hereafter; who excels in glory; who causes fear; who protects from far and near, who resolves everything unto himself; who is the destroyer of samsara totally; the one who is OM ; who is the source of happiness and freedom; to the one who is Lord Siva; to the one who resides on either side of the river; to the one who helps all to cross the sins and the sin of ignorance; to the one who is in the rebirths, in the jivas, in the tender grass and in foam, sand and in the flow of river.

ANUVAKA - 09 Salutation to the Lord who is in the desert and in the beaten path, in the form of roads full of pebbles, in the residential places, in the cow sheds, in a cot, in a mansion or cave, in deep waters or in dew drops, who has matted hair, who is visible and not visible, who is in dry woods and wet trees, who is in barren land and marshy place, in the earth and the waves, in green foliage and in dry leaves, who has weapons ready to attack and weapons withdrawn, and who causes injuries small and big.

Salutations to you who is in destructive form; who is known only to Devatas; who causes suffering in various ways; who captures people to bless or punish, who does not fail to give results of actions and who pervades everywhere to punish the evil-doers.

ANUVAKA - 10 This section consists of prayer to Rudra to do certain things and not to do certain other things.

O Lord! May you not frighten all these beings and cattle? Let not any of them get destroyed or afflicted by diseases. Your body is auspicious, being like the medicine for all diseases at all times, and is of the nature of blessing and a remedy for all the ills of samsara. O Physician for the disease of samsara, make us happy and enable us to live by that body of yours. We offer this mental worship to, O Lord Rudra, in such a manner as it would bring happiness to all our people and animals and would fetch nourishment and freedom to all the beings in this village. O Lord, we worship you who are capable of eliminating the enemies, to give us that happiness born out of objects as well as that born out of freedom.

O Lord Rudra! Do not kill elders of our family, children, young persons and the child in the womb. Further, do not hurt our father, mother and our dear bodies. Being angry, do not cause any harm in our progeny and sons, in our longevity, cattle and horses. Do not kill any leaders of our society. We, with offerings in our hands, worship you with salutation. You with a form frightening others remain in a comfortable and blessing form close to us and protect us, talk to us gently.

O Mind, praise the Lord who is revealed in the scriptures, who abides in the hearts, who is ever young, who destroys the wrong doers, who is not conquerable like an Iron piece. May you, who are being praised by us, make us happy? O Rudra, we are in this body subject to ageing? May your army destroy anyone else other than us?

May the destructive weapons of Rudra leave us? Let the thought of destruction in the Lord who is full with raging anger, leave him. May you withdraw the unfailing weapons from us who are worshipping you and give us happiness? O Lord, who fulfills all the desires, who blesses with inner purity! May you become auspicious and one with good thoughts towards us. Keeping your frightening weapons aside on the top of a tree, come towards us. Wearing your tiger-skin holding the bow pinaka, come towards us.

O one, who eliminates all sins, who is pure, who is endowed with the qualities of bhagavan, let our salutations be unto you. Let the weapons you have destroy people other than us. O Lord! There are thousands of weapons of countless varieties in your two hands. May you turn their faces away from us?

ANUVAKA - 11The mantras in this section talk about the various forms of Rudras in which he is prayed to. One Rudra has manifold forms as Devatas and they act as sources of blessing as also

chastising. They are the presiding deities of various fields or functions. They are in the food, air, intermediary space, earth, trees, and so on. Our salutations to these Rudras!

This section is concluded with the following popular prayer which is also called as “Maha Mrutyunjaya Mantra”.

Tryambakam yajamahe sugandhim pushtivardhanam |Urvarukamiva bandhanat mrutyormukshiya mamrutat ||

‘We worship the one who has three eyes, who has got fragrance and who nourishes health. I should get released from the death, like a water melon which gets released from its creeper and not from immortality.’

CHAMAKAM chapter 3 In Chamakam a catalogue of 347 items are prayed for, from the Lord, from food and other material requirements to the highest of spiritual goals. Like Namakam this also has eleven Anuvakas or sections.

ANUVAKA - 01 In the First Anuvaka, a comprehensive prayer is made to keep the human being fit, hale and hearty in his internal vitalities, sensory organs and mind power, and grant him a long and peaceful happy life. These powers are needed for successful performance of several types of tasks in everyday life. Thirty six items are prayed in this Anuvaka for the body, its limbs and food, which is the cornerstone for upholding Dharma.

O Gods, Agni and Vishnu! May both of you bear goodwill to me. Let these words of praise of mine magnify you. Approach me together bearing riches and food. I pray to you to grant me food and permission to give and eat food. May the food that I eat be pure? Let me have good appetite and relish the food and digest the food that I eat. May I perform the sacrifices that would procure me food?

Let me recite all the Vedic mantras with proper intonations and a compelling and captivating voice. Grant me the capacity to discriminate what to hear and what not to hear. May my mind be lit up with clarity to understand things properly? May I attain the heavens of Gods? Let the life forces and vital airs of Prana, Apana and Vyana function properly in me.

May my mind deserve the right knowledge through incisive grasping? May you grant me the gift of eloquent speech and a sane and healthy mind? Let me have well functioning sense organs with clear eye sight and keen hearing. Let my organs of action be strong and virile. Grant me the might to put down my enemies and to lead a long and vigorous life.

Let me have a respectable old age with dignity. May I have well built and well formed body. May you grant me happiness? Grant me protection for the body. May I have well formed body with well set bones and well knit joints? May I be born in high and noble bodies in future?

ANUVAKA - 02 In the Second Anuvaka, eminence and leadership, common sense, intellectual acumen, capability to face bad times, spiritual elevation, worldly splendor and enjoyments are prayed for. Thirty eight pleas are made in this Anuvaka by the devotee.

I pray that I may be granted a higher position, prominence and Lordship among men. May I have the sense of resentment which is just and anger which is righteous. Let me have the right self control for dignified manifestation of anger.

May I be provided with sweet and plentiful water? May I be granted prowess to dominate and gain victory over my foes and win wealth and glory. Let me be sought after and respected by others. May my wealth and possessions multiply?

May I be granted good progeny and unbroken lineage? May my learning, character and truthfulness grant me natural superiority over others? May I have faith in the sastras, Vedas and optimism about future? May I be granted movable and immovable property and gold and silver in plenty?

May my personality be charming and attractive? May my body be strong and glorious to derive pleasures and joy from sports and games? May the heritage which has come down to me from my forefathers be steady with me and what I acquire in my life be protected? May I master the Vedic hymns and acquire the holy merit by the performance of sacred rites and good actions?

May my past, present and future be full of abundance and prosperity? May I always dwell in pleasant, hospitable and safe places? May my passage in this world be always smooth and may I be endowed with spiritual merit in my afterlife?

May I be provided material comforts in abundance in my life’s journey to make it comfortable and pleasant and also to put them to the best use? May I be granted a brilliant and balanced intellect, to manage difficult situations cleverly and successfully?

ANUVAKA - 03The Third Anuvaka develops innate urge for God and meditative and spiritual ecstasy, service to Divinity and humanity. Goals like, teaching, discovery, immortality, eagerness for knowledge and truth, quest for immortality, understanding the rhythms in life, understanding the available paths in life, freedom from diseases, ability to sleep well and power associated with mind and prana and choice of right path in life are prayed for Thirty six aspirations are sought to be fulfilled in this third Anuvaka.

May I be granted happiness in this world and in the other world? May I acquire good and pleasant objects in this world and also in the other world? May I have the joy and solace of good relations with one and all? May I attain welfare and prosperity in this world and spiritual welfare in the other world? May I be granted comfortable habitations, good fortunes, wealth and fame? May I have the guidance of elders and teachers who can control and lead me in the right way? Let me have parents and elders who will comfort

and support me. May I be blessed with the capacity to protect and retain what I have already earned? May I be granted unshaken fortitude under the most trying and difficult circumstances?

May I win the goodwill, respect and honor in the world? May I acquire the knowledge of Vedas and sastras and ability to disseminate the knowledge to others? May I have the capacity to command obedience and work from my children out of love? May I have the executive ability and drive to extract obedience and work from my servants and others. May I be blessed with unqualified success in my agricultural and husbandry operations? May I perform sacrifices and other rites and reap the inevitable spiritual fruits of such sastric karmas? May I be granted total resistance and immunity from major and minor ailments?

May I have the possession of herbs and remedies which would grant me a long life? May I be saved from untimely death? May I be granted freedom from fear and enmity? May I possess righteous conduct which wins the approval of one and all? May I be blessed with a sound sleep, happy and auspicious dawn and a fruitful day?

ANUVAKA - 04 The Fourth Anuvaka assures the fitness of the body and the best food for the body, and its comfort. In other words, it describes the powers or qualities which nourish both our gross and subtle bodies. It includes mental clarities, pleasant and true words, recognition of delight in all our works, freedom from hunger and all pervading nature etc. This anuvaka also spells out, different names and varieties of grains, which represent energy which is necessary for our body. Thirty eight desires are prayed for to be fulfilled in this Anuvaka by the seeker.

May I be granted food, milk, sweet juices? May I encounter courteous words of welcome and hospitality? May the Lord grant me ghee and honey? May I be granted the good fortune of eating and partaking liquids in good company?

May I be blessed with successful agricultural operations, sufficient and timely rains, fertile fields and the green wealth of trees and plants in my land? May I possess children and relatives who bestow upon me a sense of security? May I acquire gold and precious stones? May I have a strong and well nourished body? May I be granted the gift of abundance of all varieties of cereals, millets and corn? May my stock of grain and food never diminish? May I never experience hunger for want of food?

May I be granted paddy, barley, black gram and sesames? May I be granted green gram, castor seeds, wheat and Bengal gram? May I be granted millets, small and superior paddy and wild forest grains in abundance?

ANUVAKA - 05In the Fifth Anuvaka, the seeker asks for the Navaratnas, (the precious stones) and all the animals to serve his interests and also materials best in their form for his spiritual rituals. Three specific desires are prayed for here.

May I be blessed with vast lands, with precious stones and lofty hills and mountains which give birth to many rivers, forests with fruit bearing trees? May the lands be rich in minerals like gold and silver? May the lands be rich in minerals like lead, tin and steel? May the lands be rich in minerals like bronze, copper and have abundant water? May the land has thick vegetation with creepers, herbs and plants cultivated and uncultivated?

May I be granted cattle and other domestic animals in plenty which help us in performing sacred sacrificial rites? May I be granted ability to add to my ancestors’ properties with my own earnings? May I be blessed with children with competence and prowess to achieve success in the world? May I have comfortable habitations to accommodate me and my people? May I have the determination to undertake performances of sacred rites, rituals and sacrifices successfully? May I be rewarded with joy and happiness for fulfilling the scriptural injunctions? May I attain the final goal of my life?

ANUVAKA - 06The Sixth Anuvaka emphasizes the importance of Indra as a co-sharer in the oblation (offerings) to the other Gods. The seeker prays that "May all these Gods come in and grow in us perfectly with their powers like a child that grows in a mother's womb".

Let Lord Agni and Indra shower grace on me. Let Lord Soma and Indra shower grace on me. Let Lord Savita and Indra shower grace on me. Let Goddess Saraswati and Indra shower grace on me. Let Lord Pusa and Indra shower grace on me. Let Lord Brihaspati and Indra shower grace on me. Let Lord Mitra and Indra shower grace on me. Let Lord Varuna and Indra shower grace on me. Let Lord Thvasta and Indra shower grace on me. Let Lord Dhata and Indra shower grace on me. Let Lord Vishnu and Indra shower grace on me. Let the twin Aswinis and Indra shower grace on me. Let Lord Marutha and Indra shower grace on me. Let Vishva Devas and Indra shower grace on me.

Let Earth and Indra shower grace on me. Let the interspace between the heaven and earth and Indra shower grace on me. Let Heavens and Indra shower grace on me. Let all the four quarters and Indra shower grace on me. Let quarter above and Indra shower grace on me. Let Prajapati and Indra shower grace on me. (Indra is not only the mythological King of angels in heaven; he is also the master of senses. Therefore, here Indra means the indwelling god who is the real master of the senses; this explains the importance given to Indra in this hymn).

ANUVAKA - 07 The Seventh Anuvaka lists the various vessels necessary for Soma Yagya sacrifices in the “Yagya Kunda”, the site of offerings to Agni. In this prayer each word represents an aspect of self which is offered to the respective Deity.

ANUVAKA - 08The Eighth Anuvaka is a prayer for granting the various instruments necessary for the performance of Soma Yagya sacrifice.

Let the following Bahiranga Yagna Sadhanas necessary for the performance of sacrifices is granted unto me. May I possess the dried sacred twigs, the holy Dharbha or sacred grass, the sacrificial altar, the platforms for the priests to perform sacrificial rites? May I possess vessels made of Purasa wood used for Homams in Ishti sacrifices, wooden plates for pouring the Soma juice and drinking it, small pebbles used for pounding the soma creeper, wooden knives fixed in the sacrificial post?

May I possess four pits dug in the earth, flat wooden pieces cut from the fig tree along with the bark, vessel shaped like a mango made out of banyan tree in which squeezed soma juice is kept? May I possess the vessels of wood and mud for placing the Soma juice in the sacrificial offerings (Havirdana), mud vessel for keeping the soma juice, another mud vessel for storing the purified soma juice?

May I possess the place for lighting the sacred fire, platform for keeping the Havis (sacrificial offerings), pavilions for ladies where the wives of priests should dwell, place where the public can sit and chant Vedic hymns.

May I possess purodasa, an offering made of broken rice, pachatas (a place where offerings are cooked)? May I have the ceremonial bath after the completion of the sacrifice and burn the sacred fire by chanting mantras through which the gods are invoked?

ANUVAKA - 09 The Ninth Anuvaka, the prime prayer, consists of all the contents of four Vedas. This also mentions the powers of light and sound which are closely related.

May I light the sacrificial fire? May I perform the religious rite known as Gharma and theSacrifices known as Arka and Surya. May I make the offerings due to Prana? May the Gods Prithvi, Aditi be auspicious to me? May the Gods Diti, Dyaus be auspicious to me? May the heaven and the quarters outspread like the fingers and pointing finger of the Virat-Purusha, the cosmic being be amicable to me for my sacrificial rites.

May the Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, and the hymn known as Stoma be properly chanted where the sacrificial rites are performed? May austerities be practiced by me properly? May the seasons be favorable for my sacrificial rites? May I practice the physical austerities or certain vows and observances prescribed (like fasting at night)? May it rain day and night? May the hymns called Brhad and Rathantara be properly recited during the sacrificial rites?

ANUVAKA - 10 The Tenth Anuvaka invokes all the biological species to co-operate in the devotee’s daily life and also for the sacrificial rituals and specifically mentions the prayer for perfection of our principal prana energy, our senses, mind and soul.

(Let it be granted unto me). Calves in the womb of my cows, the newborn calves, a year and half old bull calves, a year and half old female calves. Two year bull calves, two year

old female calves, bull calves two and half years old, female calves two and half years old. Bull calves three years old, female calves three years old, Bull calves four years old and female calves four years old. Bull calves five years old, female calves five years old. The breeding bulls and virgin cows. The lordly (fully grown) bulls and the cows that have had a miscarriage. The cows that have newly delivered.

May I live long? May my upward breath, downward breath, equalizing breath, eyes, ears, mind, speech and body function properly as a result of my sacrificial rites? May I keep performing more sacrificial rites?

ANUVAKA - 11The Eleventh Anuvaka brings out the long list of benedictions asked for. Let all the numbers be granted to me implying that on the changeless Absolute One, many are super imposed.

May I possess food? May it be produced in plenty? May it be produced again and again? May I perform sacrificial rites? May the sun, the space that came out of it, that appeared last, that appeared in the world, the world and the king be auspicious to me?

SHANTI PATHIda invokes the Gods, Manu performs sacrificial rites, and Brhaspati recites hymns which give joy. Visvedevas recite hymns, mother Prithvi (Earth) do not injure me. I shall entertain sweet thoughts, do sweet deeds, make sweet offerings, speak sweet words and speak honeyed words to the God-loving men. May the Gods make them faultless? May they be approved by the manes or ancestors? May there be Peace to the body and the Soul?

Conclusion: Inclusiveness of Hinduism ch 4 The purpose of this magnificent hymn, the Sri Rudra Prasna, is to instill into the minds of people the knowledge that God is not merely the creative Parent of the universe, but He is also immanent in every particle, in every speck of space, in every unit of time, in every nook and corner, in every particle of such creation.

God has been painted here through every conceivable notion of dual character of the universe such as the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly, the right and the wrong, the positive and the negative, the high and the low, the gross and the subtle, the wise and the ignorant, the strong and the weak, the believable and the unbelievable, the mortal and the immortal, existence and non-existence and so on.

Synonyms and antonyms, parallels and the opposites personify the existence of God. Thus the contrast of white is black, and God is both the white and the black. This is logical because we cannot understand what is white unless there is black. Thus if we say that something is good, there has to be something else that is bad, as otherwise our mind is incapable of imagining what can be good. If we want to know what is heat there has to be some thing which is cold.

Hence God has to be blended in both the aspects in a Transcendent Presence which is neither the good nor the bad, yet is the good and the bad, the subject and the object. Every experience, every perception, every way of human thought is involved in this predicament of juxtaposing, blending or bringing together contraries in the God-Being.

This blending is typically brought out in the iconographic representation of Siva called Ardha Nareesvara which shows him with one half of the body as male and the other half as female the principle behind which is portrayed in a soothing poetical form in the Sri Rudra Prasna. In Hindu philosophy, this portrayal visualizes the belief that the sacred ultimate power of the universe as being both feminine and masculine, being mutually complementary and corollary to each other signifying the bipolar nature of the world.

The whole of life is nothing but an arena of battle where forces collide with one another, because the universe is not a uniform, featureless, range of a single form of existence, but is a mixture of opposing constituents. We may call them the centripetal and the centrifugal movements - energies that tend towards the centre and energies that direct them away from the centre towards the periphery, towards the objects of senses. The battlefield of life is nothing but the field of the conflict of these two tendencies, everywhere.

Thus, whenever our conceptions and perceptions get tuned to the tendencies in the universe that move toward the centre of the cosmos (centripetal forces), we appear to be seeing good things, beautiful things, happy things, pleasant things; but whenever perceptions, cognitions, outlooks get entangled in those tendencies which move outwards, away from the centre (centrifugal), towards the objects, things appear unhappy, ugly, bad and evil.

So, the perception of this disparity of characters in things is not due to any actual disparity in the cosmos, as disparity is not really there, but is due to the incapacity of the human individual to conceive its totality at one go.. The weakness of the faculty of human perception is that it can only conceive sharp divisions but not a unified whole.

Sri Rudra Prasna puts an iron curtain before such human way of looking at things, and helps us to recognize the All Mighty Being in every little thing in the cosmos, whether they are liked ones or disliked ones, good ones or bad ones, necessary ones or unnecessary ones, pleasant ones or unpleasant ones, beautiful ones or ugly ones and so on.

To our shock, it is only here that we come across God being praised as the Lord of thieves, the Lord of bandits, the Lord of dacoits marauding on the mountain tops, and as He who is present in workshops, in marketplaces, in the streets, in earth, water, fire, air and ether, in vegetation, in animals—in all things and every thing in creation.

Sri Rudra Prasna opens before us the wide canvas of the cosmos, or the Virat-Svarupa of the Lord, as the original Almighty before creation and also after creation, in whom the whole of creation is absorbed in a blend of unity with its own existence. The effort here is

to lift the human mind above the bodily and empirical perceptions and to envisage the universe as one single unit in which the subject and the object are blended together.

This description of Siva, in Sri Rudra Prasna is comparable to what we see about Vishnu in the Vibhuti Yoga (Chapter 10) and Visvarupa Sandarshana Yoga (Chapter 11) of the Bhagavad Gita or in the Purusha Suktam or in the Vishnu Sahasra Nama Stotram.

Sri Rudra Prasna is generally interpreted to show that Vishnu is another aspect of Siva and accordingly to hold that Vishnu and Siva are one and the same God from an Advaita viewpoint. Interestingly, the Vishnu Sahasranamam, in a similar manner, states Siva is an aspect of Vishnu.

Usually, the human being is regarded as the subject and the universe and the world as objects, as something external. Here, in this hymn the Almighty, Rudra or Siva, is conceived as the Universal Presence in all creation. The distinction usually drawn between the thinker and the thought, consciousness and matter, subject and object, is wiped out by making consciousness itself to deeply commune with that Being who is not only the consciousness that meditates, but also that which is meditated upon.

It is obvious that no one who has not lifted himself above the limitations of human thought can offer prayers in this manner. Thus, Satarudriya is a Universal Vedic prayer to the Supreme Being, denoted by the epithet - Rudra and Siva - demonstrating in abundant measure the universality, catholicity and inclusiveness of Hinduism.

None is left out, nothing is omitted, and no wish has remained unfulfilled, no detail escaped attention, while painting the universe as an all-embracing form of the Supreme Being Himself. Every thing in creation is illustrated as Satyam-Sivam-Sundaram.

References: 1. Talks on Sri Rudram by Swami Dayananda Saraswati2. Sri Rudram and Purusha Suktam by Swami Amritananda3. Daily Invocations by Swami Krishnananda

Also read: 1. American evangelists attacks Hinduism -

http://news.rediff.com/report/2010/may/07/american-evangelist-attacks-hinduism.htm?invitekey=ef6a264eb01f264ea6e6bb5ace3ccb08